VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The dilemma that is often faced by tourists is to choose the perfect tourism destination for vacation. The choice is between mountains and beaches, but are there any tourism destinations that cover both? Yes, there are. On Lombok Island, there is a destination, called Mount Tunak Natural Tourism Park. This place is a complete package for both mountain and beach lovers. The location is located in Mertak Village, Pujut District, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. Mount Tunak Natural Park is 1,200 hectares promontory jutting directly into the Indian Ocean which has hilly plains and cliff islands around it. The promontory is flanked by Bumbang bay in the West-North and Awang bay in the East. At the first glance, Mount Tunak is similar to the Twelve Apostles in Victoria, Australia. Although there are not 12 cliff islands in this area, this destination still has extraordinary beauty.

To enter Mount Tunak tourism area, you will go through a number of protected forest areas which are inhabited by endangered species such as foot-birds, Timor deer and many types of butterflies in the captive park. After passing through the forest area, you will find a hidden beach. Its name is Bilayasak Beach, which is a virgin beach with white sand directly facing the Indian Ocean. The sea water is dark blue which looks very beautiful when the sky is clear with thin clouds above it. This beach is also surrounded by circular limestone cliffs, from a distance it looks golden. On top of the cliff, there are green hills that can be climbed, and from above, you can see the natural panorama of Mount Tunak which has cliff islands lined up in the ocean. Every now and then, the big waves swept the cliffs, giving rise to the distinctive sound of the ocean. At Mount Tunak area, there is also a 20-meter high lighthouse. From the top of the lighthouse, you can see the entire area of Mount Tunak which stretches without any obstructions.  The blue sea, cliffs, beaches, hills and sky, all these sights make anyone amazed by their beauty. Moreover, this tourism park is a quiet area and not many tourists know about it, so that anyone who comes will feel spoiled like being on a private island.

The location of Mount Tunak is about 85 kilometers from Mataram City and takes about 2.5 hours by motor vehicles. The road condition is not extreme and has used asphalt to access these tourism sites. However, there is no public transportation yet. You can rent a car or preferably use a travel service from Mataram City with a price range of IDR 300,000. Mount Tunak opens every day from 07.00-16.00 local time. The ticket price is Rp 5,000 for local tourists, and Rp 10,000 for foreign tourists. The facilities in this tour are very minimal because it is still under construction. There is only a parking area, protected forest and butterfly breeding. There are no traders, food courts or souvenir centers around the location.